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New book explores Harry Truman’s record on civil liberties

By Guest PostMay 8, 2013Politicsalger hiss, american freedoms, american government, american people, american political system, american politics, american principles, americans, anti communists, civil liberties, cold war, constitution, democrat controlled senate, fbi, george w. bush, global peace, harry truman, house, internal security subcommittee, issue, j edgar hoover, japanese americans, john s service, joseph mccarthy, justice department, key west, liberty and security, loyalty program, marshall plan, national security system, nato, new book, Obama, policy, president eisenhower, red scare, richard kirkendall, richard nixon, senator joe mccarthy, smith act case, unamerican activities committee, university of washington, uw today, violation, war in korea, world war

Richard Kirkendall is a University of Washington professor emeritus of history and editor of the new book “Civil Liberties and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman.” He answered a few questions about the book for UW Today.

Q: What’s the scope of the book?

A: The book surveys the civil liberties issue during the Truman presidency of 1945-1953, an especially important time in the history of this essential feature of the American political system.

The book begins with two chapters on Truman as a civil libertarian, one on his identification of himself, the other on his relations with Japanese-Americans, the victims during World War II of a major violation of American principles. (more…)

‘To the Mountaintop’: Journalist Discusses Social Justice Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

By Guest PostFebruary 18, 2013Culture, Politicsactivist, africa, african americans, aids, american culture, american dream, author, award winning journalist, charlayne hunter gault, civil rights movement, constitution, equity, future generations, highest hiv rates, hiv, james p comer, maggie, mainstream media, martin luther king, new haven, philosopher frantz fanon, public health, social justice, South Africa, success, timeless, to the mountaintop, transcendent, women of color, yale

Award-winning journalist, activist, and author Charlayne Hunter-Gault told a packed audience at Yale that lessons learned from the civil rights movement still have relevance for current and future generations.

Hunter-Gault delivered a lecture titled “Social Justice, Equity, and Public Health” during a Branford College master’s tea on Feb. 5. (more…)

Prewar Citizen Complaints to Government Explored in ‘This is Not Civil Rights’

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2012Politicsamericans, chicago press, civil liberties unit, civil rights law, civil rights movement, constitution, free speech, george lovell, gravity, Great depression, justice department, minority rights, national archives, political participation, political science, political spectrum, Politics, protect rights, rights talk, rights violations, roosevelt administration, supreme court, topic, university, us politics, uw today, White House, world war

George Lovell, UW associate professor of political science, is the author of “This Is Not Civil Rights: Discovering Rights Talk in 1939 America,” published in October by University of Chicago Press. He answered a few questions about his book for UW Today.

What is the basic concept behind “This is Not Civil Rights”?

The book examines more than 1,000 citizen complaint letters regarding rights from the late years of the Great Depression along with replies written by federal government officials. Looking at what people complained about, and how they tried to justify their claims, reveals how popular understandings of rights and the role of government develop over time. (more…)

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New book explores Harry Truman’s record on civil liberties

‘To the Mountaintop’: Journalist Discusses Social Justice Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Prewar Citizen Complaints to Government Explored in ‘This is Not Civil Rights’